1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing electronic components such as chip capacitors or chip resistors or an electronic component array such as a capacitor array. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing electronic components, including a step of forming external electrodes on such electronic components.
2. Description of the Background Art
As one example of the prior art, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-109204 (1985) describes a conventional method of forming external electrodes on chip components.
According to this prior art reference, external electrodes are formed on chip components by the following procedure:
(1) A first and a second holding plate are prepared, each of which is formed by an elastic body provided with a plurality of receiving holes passing therethrough across the front and rear surfaces of the elastic body.
(2) Ends of chip components are the receiving holes of the first holding plate from the front side thereof, so that first ends of the chip components are exposed on the front surface of the first holding plate.
(3) Metal paste is applied to the first ends of the chip components which are exposed on the front surface of the first holding plate, and the paste films thereby formed are dried.
(4) The front surface of the first holding plate is at a position opposed to the front surface of the second holding plate. The first ends of the chip components provided with the metal paste films, and held by the first holding plate, are pushed into the receiving holes of the second holding plate so that second ends of the chip components, without metal paste films, are exposed on the front surface of the second holding plate, thereby transferring the chip components from the first holding plate to the second holding plate.
(5) Metal paste is applied to the second ends of the chip components which are exposed on the front surface of the second holding plate, and the metal films thereby formed are dried.
(6) The chip components are then taken out from the second holding plate.
(7) The chip components treated in the aforementioned manner are heat treated in a heat treat furnace so that the metal paste films are fired, thereby forming external electrodes.
In the aforementioned conventional method, however, it is necessary to handle separate chip components for forming external electrodes thereon, and hence equipment is required for orienting the chip components along a constant direction. Such equipment includes, for example, the aforementioned first and second holding plates, and a device for pushing the chip components into the receiving holes of the first holding plate along a constant direction. Further, a relatively large number of steps must be carried out in order to form the external electrodes after the above equipment.
In addition, thicknesses of the metal paste films formed tend to disperse in the aforementioned conventional method.